WEST POINT FOUNDRY Maker of the Parrott Rifle, Famous Civil War
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WEST POINT FOUNDRY Maker of The Parrott Rifle, Famous Civil War Cannon 1 i i WEST POINT FOUNDRY ! The ~a~ol$onicWars demonstrat&d the importance of artillery in modern warfdre. This was brought home to the American people when in the War Of 1812, they found themselves opposed by heavy artillery in the hand8 of seasoned troops, both of which we lacked. The first graduate of West Point Military Academy, General Joseph Swift determined that it would not happen again. He was able to en- list the financial backing of Gouverneur Kemble, willram Kemble and others. In 1818 they organized the West Point Foundry with kstablishments at Cold Spring and New York City. It was necessary to "bootleg" skilled labor out of Europe by way of Ireland. They were able to evade ship pursuit. Their first government demonstration of heavy cannon firing caused some of the cannon to burst. But they were ablt to prove the fault was not in the cannon but In the faulty ammunitiol So, this Foqndry along with three other foundries were subsidized by the government. Success followed their enterprise until it was said,"there was no other foundry like it in America". Prom 50 to 100 heavy ordnance were made each year with the accompanying ammhition. They branched out. Stoves were just becoming popular. Iron pipe replaced wood for water mains in New York and Boston. Machinery for making sugar in South America and the Southern States was in demand. Engines for steamboats and railroads were made. The famous "DeWitt Clinton" railroad engine was built in 1831. It is now the property of the New York Central. A seventy-foot vessel was built, much of it made of iron, but this venture was not followed up. The caatlngs were made at Cold Spring and finished in New York. They went by sloop in summer aqd by team in winter. In eal-ly years, one hundred men were employ@ the year round to mine ore, cut hardwoods, prepare it as charcoal'and team it eight miles to the Foundry. Forty tons of iron were psocessed in the blast furnace every day. Later iron was mined and smelted in Pennsylvania and shipped to Cold Spring to be finished. -- -4. The year after the first government tests at Cold Sfwing, Robert Parrott enrolled at West Point Military Academy. The, interest in the Foundry across the Hudson River probably determin d his speci- alization in artillery. By 1836, he had advanced to 6 aptain of Ordnance and was located at Washington,D.C. as the Aarsistant of Ordnance. In that year, things began to happen at the West Polnt Foundry. Gouverneur Kemble went to Washington for four years ap Congressman from his district. In a short time, Parrott was tranbferred to the West Point Foundry to supervise ordnance manufacture. But in a few months,he resigned his commission in the army to become Superinten- dent of the Foundry. Three years later, he married Miss Mary Kemble sister of Gouverneur Kemble. DurSng these three years, the finishing branch of the Foundry was moved from New York to Cold, Spring. For the next thirty years, Parrott gave his energlea to improving ordnance. The cliffs across the Hudson Rive7 became the target for testing his experiments. By the year before the Civi War, Parrott had produced a cannon made of cast iron which was to S, volutionize artillery. .The government ha some of these when the: War began. These cannons were of two ty es; those suitable fop operation in mobile conf~ictand heavier g s for seige purposes. At the fiqst Battle of Bull$ Run, the North lost a third of their artillery tQ the South. In addition to the ten-pound, shot, three inch bore fjeld guns, a thirty-pound Parrott seige gun was lost. At the Battle of Gettysburg, General Warren, a native of' Cold Spring, helped lay Out the line of battle. He saved the North's left flank WEST POINT FOUNDRY (2) by diverting infantry and artillery to Little Round Top. The hill was too steep for horses, but the men dragged these 900 pound Parrott Cannon to the hill top. These field guns were accurate for more than a mile. The larger seige guns ranged up to more than ten inches in diameter At the Seige of Charleston, a heavy gun was needed to fire from a swamp, A West Pointer was called upon. He facetiously asked for men eighteen feet tall. Serrellls volunteers were called in and sunk files sixteen feet into the swamp for a platform. The "Swamp Angel as the mounted Parrot gun was called, began bombarding the de- fenses of the city. This gun shot accurately six miles. When the muzzle was blown off, it still operated accurately. When Richmond and Petersburg were under seige, a seige "train" with many heavy Parrott guns were brought to bear on the fortifications. Washington was surrounded by 900 cannon for defense. Many were Pamtts. More than 3000 guns and three million projectiles were produced at Cold Spring during the war. Not only were the Parrott guns most accurate but the munitions which were supplied were superior to those put out by the South. In the spring of 1864, the new seven-shot repeating carbine was being made at the foundry. The growing power of the northern cavalry was greatly augmented by this new-- weapon. After the War, The Parrott cannon was in demand in foreign coun- tries. Parrott alao invented a better fired life line for saving those in danger on the seas. During the Panic of 1873, the Foundry was in trouble. The change of administration affected contracts. Parrott had died. The rich iron ore deposits in the west were superior to those near the Foun- dry and the more distant ores In Pennsylvania whioh were the Foun- dry t s source of supply. At times, ae many as 1000 men were employed. This along with other industrial enterprises in the County inoreased the County's popu- lation a third during the war years. But by 1886, the population OR Cold Spring had declined to what it had been fAfty years before. In 1911 the Foundry was closed, after almost one hundred years of suc- cessful operation. PUTNAM COUNTY HISTORIAN Rorace E. Hillery Patters on, New York PUTKAM COUhTTY IN THE CIVIL WAR - TFIFU) EDITION 1961 Thta third edition on 'Putnam County in the Civil karw completes half of our projeat. We take a quibk look back and ahead.- LINCOLN AT COLD SPRINU 1862 n While McClellan was retreating in the Peninsular Campaign and Pope, an untried General was in Western Virginia, President Lincoln, unobserved, visited General Scott at West Point. Col. D. Cm McCullum, Military Director of Railroads, and Lincoln's body guard accompanied him. President Samuel Sloan of the Hudson River Railroad (now the New York Central ) and General Scott met them at Garrison at 3 AM June 24, 1862, They croased to West Point on Belcherfs Ferry and took carriage to the new Cozzenfs Ro tel. After a 7 o'clock breakfast, Lincoln and Scott discussed military affairs for several houra, Then joined by Col, Bowen and hr. Sloan, they visited West Point for some time. Ferrying to Cold Spring, they observed the Wsting of heavy Parrott Guns at the West Point Foundry. A 100 pound shell was fired 15 times and a 200 ~oundshell was fired 5 times. Tradition says trouble developed in fhing. Finally Lincoln said, "1 believe it will fire, letts eat." Returning at 8 pm to the hotel, a Levee was held. The President adroitly parried ill-advised questions and sugmstive sentences. Autographs were freely dispensed. At midnight the Academy band sere- naded the slee7ing President. After breakfast the next morning, a small Levee and a drive Mr. Belcher sugpested a ferry trip up the River. The ?arrott gun target across the River was examined. As they came to the railroad tunnel north of Cold Spring, which was being d ouble-traaked, Lincoln called it, "one of your rat holes." COMINU EVENTS by 18 Carl Carmer will speak at the Peekskill Military Academy. This will be worth hearing. Boscobel holds its opening, May 21 Governor Nelson Rockerfeller is guest of honor. This promises to be a national shrine. May 30 the Putnam County Historical Society plans an auction of antiques. Tours are planned in June and July. Their exhibit will be opened this summer in their new home. The ihhopac-Carml Rotary Club will man the Inspiration Point 111- formtlon Service, Thoy are asking service Club to contribute literature that will publicize our County. The Enoch Crosby DAR expect to goon announ- the d$e of the erection of the Statue of S hll 1,udingtonts Ride on Carmelts lake front. &IS EDITION BAS ?aNY COYTRIBUTORS The 59th Reglment photo of Captain Adam hhttice and new8 from the Dean Boys was given by Xrs. Addison Hopkina. Alfred Dm Vores, has Charles Vorea letter. %incoln at Cold springn is a digest of a New York Times article PUTMAM COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR - THIRD EDITION 1961 (2) loaned by Mrs. Maeguerite Rogers, granddaughter of Railroad Presi- dent Samuel Sloan. Lincoln1 s quips are traditions in the Xnmble- Parrot family by Mrai. Beata Porter, and in the Belcher family by Col. Taylor Belcher. Col, N. B. Wilson of West Point Military Academy gave us Hagor- General Warrenls biography. The accompanying photo is of the statue which stands on Little Round Top, Gettysburg. The Highland Chemical Works'photo was loaned by Mrs. Henry Bel- lefeuille of Peekskill and Mrs.